Return to homeEmulate: http://www.countryreports.org/country/Bahrain.htm
TravelDocs: http://www.traveldocs.com/bh/index.htm
USLC: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/bhtoc.htmlBahrain is made up of one large island linked to
Saudi Arabia by a 13-mile causeway, plus several smaller islands.
Its capital is Manama.
(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)(Econ, 9/11/10, p.58)
An early archeological find in Bahrain is a letter of credit carved
in stone.
(WSJ, 4/5/96, p.A-4)
2.2k BC In what is now Bahrain
settlements and temples of the city state of Dilmun, known as the
city of the gods in ancient Sumerian literature, were found by
Danish archaeologists in the 1950s. A culture contemporary with the
city state of Dilmun (now Bahrain) was found in 1959 on the island
of Umm-an-Nar off of Abu Dhabi.
(AM, May/Jun 97 p.48)

355BC-323BC The use of coins in
Bahrain can be traced back to the days of Alexander the Great
according to a history published by the Bahrain Monetary Agency.
(WSJ, 4/5/96, p.A-4)

1932 May 31, Socal, formerly
Standard Oil of California, discovered oil in Bahrain. This was the
1st middle eastern oil discovered by an American firm.
(SFC, 10/20/04,
p.C6)(www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199901/prelude.to.discovery.htm)

1939 The first Catholic church
in the Gulf was opened in Bahrain's capital, Manama.
(AP, 3/14/08)

1943 Two American oil firms
decided to expand their refinery in Bahrain and hired Bechtel.
Capacity was doubled to 65,000 barrels per day.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A8)

1961 Sheik Isa ibn Salman
Khalifa became emir upon the death of his father, Sulman.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)

1971 Aug 15, Bahrain proclaimed
independence after 110 years of British rule. December 16, 1971, is
the date of independence from British protection.
(http://ixpats.com/bahrain.html)

1971 Dec 16, Bahrain, which had
declared independence on Aug 15, won independence from British
protection.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)(AP,
12/17/02)(http://ixpats.com/bahrain.html)

1973 Oct 16, OPEC, the Arab
oil-producing nations, announced they would begin cutting back on
oil exports to Western nations and Japan. The next day, the five
Arab members of the OPEC committee were joined in Kuwait by the oil
ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The result
was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974 and caused oil
prices to quadruple.
(www.harvardir.org/articles/1659/)(AP,
10/17/97)(WSJ, 7/28/03, p.A8)

1973 A new constitution
established a Bahrain national assembly.
(SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)

1975 The Bahrain national
assembly was dissolved.
(SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)

1977 Nov 21, The 1st commercial
flight of the Anglo-French Concorde jet was from London to Bahrain.
(www.britishairways.com/concorde/faq.html#4)

1978 May, The Bahrain Telephone
Company began operating a commercial cellular telephone system. It
probably marks the first time in the world that individuals started
using what we think of as traditional, mobile cellular radio.
(http://tinyurl.com/36e848)

1981 May 25, Sheik Zayed bin
Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004), United Arab Emirates President, urged
in 5 other Arab monarchies (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi
Arabia) to form the Gulf Cooperation Council. The unified economic
agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was
signed on 11 November 1981 in Riyadh.
(Econ, 11/20/04,
p.90)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council)

1984 Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, UAR)
agreed on the creation of a two-brigade (10,000 troops) Peninsula
Shield Force, based in Saudi Arabia near the Kuwaiti and Iraqi
borders.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Shield)

1994 Dec 17, In Bahrain
Hani al-Wasti (25) and Hani Khamees (26) were the first of more than
40 people killed in the political upheaval among the Shiites.
(AP, 12/17/02)

1995 Bahrain became the
headquarters for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
(www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/bahrain.htm)

1996 Jan, Bahrainís ruling
al-Khalifa family, followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, put down
new protests by dissidents of the Shiite branch.
(WSJ, 1/3/96, p.A-12)

1996 Jan, Bahrain Opposition
leaders claim that 2,000 people were arrested by government
authorities after protesting for the restoration of the parliament.
(WSJ, 1/25/96, A-1)

1996 Feb, A Bahrain luxury
hotel was bombed and 4 people were injured. An Islamic group claimed
responsibility.
(WSJ, 2/12/96, p.A-1)

1996 Mar 27, A dissident was
executed in Bahrain for murdering a police officer. It was the first
execution in 20 years and set off street battles and arrests.
(WSJ, 3/27/96, p.A-1)

1996 Jun 3, The Bahrain
government said that 29 militants confessed last month to be trained
by Iran to topple the ruling Al Khalifa family and install a Shiite
Muslim government.
(SFC, 6/4/96, p.A11)

1996 Jun 10, Iran offered to
mediate between Bahrain and its Shiite opposition and denied any
involvement in the recent plot to topple the government.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A16)

1996 Aug 22, A new
environmental anti-pollution laws went into effect in Bahrain.
(SFC, 8/22/96, p.E3)

1996 Sep 15, Defense Secretary
William Perry was making the rounds among American allies in the
Persian Gulf region, seeking additional support for the U.S. stance
against Iraq. Bahrain agreed to play host to 26 American F-16 jet
fighters.
(AP, 9/15/97)

1998 Jun 13, It was reported
that the Old World Screwworm had broken out in Iraq, Kuwait and
Bahrain. 19 people were reported infected by the disease in which
carnivorous larvae hatch from eggs laid in broken skin.
(SFC, 6/13/98, p.A7)

1999 Mar 6, The emir of
Bahrain, Sheik Issa bin Salman Al Khalifa (65), a key Western ally
who had ruled for nearly four decades, died shortly after a meeting
with Defense Secretary William Cohen. He was succeeded by his eldest
son, Crown Prince Hamed ibn Issa Khalifa (49). King Hamed al-Khalifa
soon ended a 25-year-long state of emergency.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)(AP, 3/6/00)(WSJ, 10/25/01,
p.A1)(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)

1999 Jul 7, The top Bahrain
dissident, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, was sentenced to 10 years in
prison and fined $15 million after he was convicted of spying and
inciting unrest. He was freed the next day with an amnesty.
(WSJ, 7/8/99, p.A1)(WSJ, 7/9/99, p.A1)

1999 Fall, Princess Meriam Al
Khalifia (19) of Bahrain eloped with US Marine Pfc. Jason Johnson
(25). Johnson smuggled her into the US. In 2000 she faced
deportation by the US State Dept.
(SFC, 7/22/00, p.A20)(SFC, 7/25/00, p.A5)

2000 Aug 23, In Bahrain a Gulf
Air Airbus A320 crashed on approach to Manama and all 143 people
aboard were killed including 36 children.
(SFC, 8/24/00, p.A1)

2000 Dec 24, It was reported
that Bahrainís emir, Sheikh Hamad, would allow a vote on a new
national charter that would make the country a constitutional
monarchy.
(SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)

2002 Feb 14, Bahrainís Sheikh
Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa declared himself king and approved plans
for a constitutional monarchy. Parliamentary elections were
scheduled for October and municipal elections in May. Women were to
be allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the 1st time.
Foreigners would be allowed to vote under certain conditions.
(SFC, 2/15/02, p.A10)(WSJ, 2/15/02, p.A14)

2002 May 9, Voters cast ballots
in elections for 50 municipal seats. Bahraini women were allowed to
vote and run for office for the 1st time, though none were elected.
(SFC, 5/10/02, p.A20)

2002 Sep 14, In Lackawanna, New
York, 5 men of Yemeni descent were charged with supporting foreign
terrorist organizations. They reportedly were schooled in the tools
of terror, including the use of suicide as a weapon, in camps run by
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. A 6th member of the cell was
arrested in Bahrain.
(AP, 9/15/02)(SFC, 9/17/02, p.A12)

2002 Oct 24, Bahrain held its
first legislative elections in nearly 30 years. Results showed a mix
of secularist and Islamic candidates winning seats, with two women
securing places in run-off polls. The Shia opposition boycotted the
election and this led to a heavily Sunni-dominated parliament.
(AP, 10/25/02)(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)

2002 Nov 1, In Bahrain Islamic
and secular candidates won run-off votes for seats in the
parliament, according to final results. 2 women lost in run-off
races.
(AP, 11/1/02)

2004 Bahrainís population was
about 675,000. 70% were Shia under a Sunni royal family.
(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)(Econ, 4/5/08, p.52)

2005 May 6, In Bahrain about
5,000 citizens jammed a main road in the capital, waving red and
white Bahraini flags in the 2nd rally for constitutional reforms in
a month.
(AP, 5/7/05)

2005 Nov 5, Three Bahraini men
returned home after being released from the US military detention
facility at Guantanamo Bay. Bahraini authorities vowed to keep
pressing Washington to free three remaining detainees.
(AP, 11/5/05)

2005 Nov 12, In Bahrain a
US-backed Mideast democracy and development summit ended in rancor
despite adoption of two initiatives that are part of President
Bush's push to expand political freedom in a region dominated by
monarchies and effective single-party rule.
(AP, 11/12/05)

2006 Jan 12, In Bahrain an
official said Prince Faisal (15), the sixth son of the king, Sheik
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was killed in an accident while driving a
car.
(AP, 1/12/06)

2006 Mar 10, In Bahrain riot
police clashed with demonstrators burning tires and garbage at a
suburban shopping center in Manama, and at least 11 people were
wounded. The demonstration began as a peaceful protest by about 175
people who were demanding the release of 20 supporters of a cleric
who have been detained since Dec 24. The government did not want
demonstrations while the tiny island state hosted thousands of
foreigners who had come for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on Mar 12.
(AP, 3/10/06)

2006 Mar 30, A cruise boat
carrying some 130 people capsized in calm Gulf waters only a few
hundred yards off the Bahrain coast. 58 people were killed. In 2007
the owner of a dinner cruise boat was convicted of involuntary
manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
(SFC, 3/31/06, p.A11)(AP, 4/2/07)(AP, 5/24/07)

2006 Jun 8, Sheikha Haya Rashed
Al Khalifa, a pioneering lawyer and women's rights advocate from
Bahrain, was elected UN General Assembly president, the first woman
from the Middle East to take the post.
(AP, 6/8/06)

2006 Jul 30, In Bahrain 16
Indian workers died when a fire broke out in the building where they
lived in the capital Manama. The six-storey building housed some 300
workers, mostly Indians, working for a contracting company.
(AFP, 7/30/06)

2006 Oct 15, Salah Abdulrahim
al Blooshi, a former detainee in the US prison at Guantanamo Bay,
returned home to Bahrain after being held for five years. Two other
Bahrain nationals remain in custody at Guantanamo Bay, where the US
holds about 450 men on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the
Taliban.
(AP, 10/15/06)

2006 Oct 17, Bahrain said
Lateefa al-Geood, a British-educated civil servant, has become the
first-ever female to serve as an elected member of the parliament.
18 women were among 221 candidates vying for seats in the 40-member
assembly in the Nov. 25 vote. Al-Geood was the only candidate who
registered to run in her region.
(AP, 10/17/06)

2006 Nov 25, Bahrain, an island
nation of 700,000 citizens, held elections. More than 200 candidates
vied for the National Assembly's 40-seat lower house. 40 members of
the upper chamber are appointed by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,
who can veto parliamentary legislation. Shiites and opposition
members say the system preserves Sunni dominance.
(AP, 11/25/06)

2006 Dec 2, In Bahrain the 2nd
round run-off election for the lower house of parliament pitted the
Shiite-led opposition against Sunnis backed by the island kingdom's
government in a tight race. Islamic hardliners dominated the Sunni
supporters of Bahrain's government who defeated an opposition led by
the kingdom's majority Shiites in parliamentary elections. Ali
Salman (41) led Wifaq, the main Shia-based opposition party.
(AP, 12/2/06)(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)

2006 Dec 10, The oil-rich Arab
states on the Persian Gulf said that they will consider starting a
joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes. The six-nation Gulf
Cooperation Council included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
(AP, 12/10/06)

2006 Dec 18, Sheik Abdul-Ameer
al-Jamri (67), a spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shiite opposition,
died of heart and kidney failure. He had served in Bahrain's first
parliament (1973-75), which was dissolved by the emir. He was jailed
for 3Ĺ years (1996-1999) after riots against the country's Sunni
leadership.
(AP, 12/19/06)

2006 In Bahrain Salah
al-Bandar, a former government official, said he had confidential
government documents revealing a plan to provide Sunnis form other
countries with passports in an attempt to turn the Shias into a
minority.
(Econ, 4/5/08, p.52)

2006 A third of the native
Bahraini workforce earned less than $600 a month, despite an average
per head income of close to $20,000. Shia villages ringing Manama,
the main city, suffered power cuts, leaky sewage and crowded
schools.
(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)

2007 Jan 4, Musir Salem Jawher
(28) from Bahrain won the 30th International Tiberias Marathon,
around the Sea of Galilee. The Kenyan runner (Leonard Mucheru),
adopted by Bahrain 4 years earlier, faced anger from Bahrain for
running in an Israeli marathon.
(WSJ, 4/16/07,
p.A1)(www.tiberias-marathon.co.il/en/)

2007 Jul 25, Tony Blair held
talks on with the crown prince of Bahrain on his first regional tour
as an international envoy for Middle East peace.
(AP, 7/25/07)

2007 Oct 22, A US Navy sailor
allegedly shot and killed two female sailors in the barracks of an
American military base in Bahrain.
(AP, 10/22/07)

2007 Dec 21, Bahraini security
forces stormed the houses of the country's most outspoken Shiite
opposition group at dawn, arresting at least seven of its members.
Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain's 450,000 citizens,
but the ruling family is Sunni.
(AP, 12/21/07)

2008 Mar 12, The US Treasury
said it blacklisted Future Bank of Bahrain because it is controlled
by Bank Melli of Iran, which plays a role in financing Tehranís
nuclear and missile programs.
(WSJ, 3/13/08, p.A3)

2008 Apr 21, The 6-member Gulf
Cooperation Council met in Bahrain, along with representatives from
Egypt, Jordan and Condoleeza Rice for the US, to discuss diplomatic
support for Iraq as well as other issues. Rice failed to secure firm
commitments on debt relief for Iraq.
(SFC, 4/22/08, p.A10)(WSJ, 4/22/08, p.A10)

2008 May 28, Bahrain's King
Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa appointed Lawmaker Houda Nonoo, believed to
be the Arab world's first Jewish ambassador, as the country's envoy
to Washington.
(AP, 5/29/08)

2009 Apr 12, In Bahrain a
pardon by King Sheik Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa led to the release of
178 people imprisoned on security-related charges. Among them were
22 Shiite activists who have been on trial since February on charges
of seeking to destabilize the government and promote regime change
through terrorism.
(AP, 4/14/09)

2009 Jun 7, Bahrain, Kuwait,
Qatar and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement paving the way for a
monetary union and plans for a unified regional currency.
(SFC, 6/8/09, p.C1)

2009 Jun 24, The Gosaibi family
of Saudi Arabia held a creditorís meeting in Bahrain. Their
representatives revealed that the group owed $9.2 billion to over
120 banks all over the world.
(Econ, 7/11/09, p.65)

2009 Nov 25, Iran stopped the
yacht, ďKingdom of Bahrain," owned by Sail Bahrain as it sailed from
Bahrain to the Gulf city of Dubai. It had been due to join the
360-mile (580km) Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, which was to
begin Nov. 26. Five British sailors were detained.
(AP, 11/30/09)

2009 Dec 15, In Kuwait Gulf
Arab nations put into force a monetary pact, moving a step closer
toward the elusive goal of a single regional currency and greater
integration between the mainly oil-rich states. The announcement was
made by Kuwait's finance minister came as leaders from the
six-member Gulf Cooperation Council nations were wrapping up a
two-day summit in which they launched a regional electricity
project. The GCC groups Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates, Oman and Bahrain.
(AP, 12/15/09)

2009 Bahrainís population was
about 800,000. Its GDP per person was $22,000.
(Econ, 8/15/09, p.42)

2010 Aug 15, In Bahrain four
leading Shiite activists were arrested as the kingdom's Sunni
leaders try to end violent confrontations between Shiite protesters
and anti-riot police. Shiites are a majority in Bahrain, but the
oil-rich nation is ruled by a Sunni royal family.
(AP, 8/15/10)

2010 Aug 17, Bahraini lawyer
Mohammed al-Tajir said a total of 10 activists, including eight
leading members of the opposition, have been detained since Aug 14.
(AP, 8/17/10)

2010 Aug 24, Authorities in
Bahrain arrested a suspect in the case of Canadian singer Fatima
Kama (28), whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase at
London's Heathrow Airport on Jul 17, 1999. The body was found when a
member of the public spotted a black suitcase abandoned on the third
floor of a Heathrow Airport parking lot.
(AP, 8/24/10)

2010 Aug 27, Bahrain's public
prosecutor banned media from reporting on a prominent Shiite
activist and scores of other opposition members detained in an
ongoing crackdown ahead of October parliament elections.
(AP, 8/27/10)

2010 Sep 4, Bahrain state media
released the photographs of 23 Shiites ó ranging from opposition
figures to professors and taxi drivers ó accused of conspiring to
overthrow the government. They include opposition leader Abdul-Jalil
al-Singace, whose arrest on Aug. 13 marked the first salvo by
officials against members of a Shiite majority, 60-70% of the
population being cast as coup plotters who could open the door to
Iranian influence.
(AP, 9/5/10)(Econ, 10/16/10, p.56)

2010 Sep 8, The head of a
Bahraini human rights organization says the government has taken
over his group and removed him from his post. The government said
the group was "only serving one segment of society," referring to
the country's majority Shiites.
(AP, 9/8/10)

2010 Sep 14, Assailants
targeting security officials in Bahrain set off an explosion that
damaged several parked cars in the first such attack since the
country's Sunni-led rulers began a crackdown on suspected Shiite
dissidents last month.
(AP, 9/14/10)

2010 Sep 20, Bahrain stripped
Ayatollah Hussein al-Najati, a powerful Shiite cleric with close
ties to Iraq, of his citizenship as authorities widened a crackdown
against alleged dissidents ahead of next month's elections in the
tiny Gulf nation.
(AP, 9/20/10)

2010 Oct 13, In Bahrain top
justice official said 23 Shiite activists, detained in a sweeping
crackdown by the country's Sunni rulers, have been charged with
terrorism and conspiring against the government.
(AP, 10/14/10)

2010 Oct 23, Bahrainis voted
for the third time since reforms which turned the Gulf state into a
constitutional monarchy, with the Shiite majority demanding an
easing of the Sunni dynasty's grip on power. The embattled
Shiite-led opposition held on to all of its parliament seats in the
elections, but fell short of the majority it hoped to win as a show
of strength against the island kingdom's Sunni rulers.
(AFP, 10/23/10)(AP, 10/24/10)

2010 Oct 28, In Bahrain more
than two dozen Shiite Muslims accused of plotting against the Sunni
rulers described abuses including beatings and electric shocks at a
trial observed by US envoys.
(AP, 10/28/10)

2010 Oct 30, Bahraini voters
went to the polls for a run-off poll with three groups, two Sunni
Islamist and a leftist alliance, contesting the last seats in
parliament. Official results showed pro-government candidates won
all nine parliamentary seats. The results gave pro-government Sunni
candidates a combined total of 22 seats in the 40-member
legislature.
(AP, 10/30/10)(AP, 10/31/10)

2010 Dec 7, Leaders of six
US-allied Gulf Arab nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),
said they were monitoring with "utmost concern" developments in
Iran's disputed nuclear program and issued a thinly veiled warning
to their Persian neighbor not to meddle in their internal affairs.
The 2-day gathering of leaders from the Emirates, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman followed the publication of leaked
US diplomatic memos that revealed deeper concern among Gulf Arab
leaders over Tehran's nuclear program than had previously been
known.
(AP, 12/7/10)

2010 Bahrainís population was
about 738,000, including some 235,000 non nationals.
(NYT 2011 Almanac, p.537)

2011 Feb 11, Bahrain state news
agency BNA said the king has ordered that each family in the tiny
Gulf monarchy be given $3,000 to mark the 10th anniversary of a
national charter for reforms.
(Econ, 2/19/11, p.53)(http://tinyurl.com/4h7odkv)

2011 Feb 13, Bahrain's security
forces set up checkpoints and fanned out on patrols as opposition
groups blanketed social media sites with calls to stage the first
major anti-government protests in the Gulf since the uprising in
Egypt.
(AP, 2/13/11)

2011 Feb 14, Bahrain's security
forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of
anti-government protesters heeding calls to unite in a major rally
and bring the Arab reform wave to the Gulf for the first time. Ali
Abdulhadi Mushaima (21) died in today's marches.
(AP, 2/14/11)(AP, 2/15/11)

2011 Feb 15, In Bahrain
thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Manama in an
Egypt-style rebellion. Fadel Salman Matrouk was shot dead in front
of a hospital where mourners gathered for the funeral of Ali
Abdulhadi Mushaima, who died of his wounds a day earlier. King Hamad
bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering
condolences for 2 deaths, pledging an investigation into the
killings, and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include
loosening state controls on the media and Internet.
(AP, 2/15/11)(AFP, 2/15/11)

2011 Feb 16, Bahraini
protesters demanding sweeping political reforms from their rulers
held their ground in an Egypt-style occupation of the capital's
landmark square, staging a third day of demonstrations that have
brought unprecedented pressure in one of Washington's most strategic
allies in the Gulf.
(AP, 2/16/11)

2011 Feb 17, Bahrain army
patrols and tanks locked down Manama after riot police swinging
clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them
sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault in the capital that uprooted their
protest camp demanding political change. At least five people were
killed and more than 230 injured.
(AP, 2/17/11)(AP, 2/18/11)

2011 Feb 18, Bahrain soldiers
fired tear gas and shot heavy weapons into the air as thousands of
protest marchers defied a government ban and streamed toward the
landmark square that has been the symbolic center of the uprising
against the Gulf nation's leaders. At least 50 people were wounded.
(AP, 2/18/11)(SFC, 2/19/11, p.A4)

2011 Feb 19, In Bahrain
thousands of singing and dancing protesters streamed back into
Manama's central Pearl Square after leaders withdrew tanks and riot
police following two straight days of a bloody crackdown by security
forces in the tiny monarchy.
(AP, 2/19/11)

2011 Feb 20, Bahrain's
opposition wants the nation's rulers to guarantee they will back up
their conciliatory words with actions. At least 7 people have been
killed and hundreds injured since the Arab wave for change reached
the Gulf last Feb 14.
(AP, 2/20/11)

2011 Feb 21, In Bahrain a group
of young protesters camped out in the capital and called for the
ouster of the entire ruling monarchy as part of sweeping demands to
call off a weeklong uprising. At least 8 people have been killed and
hundreds injured in the clashes since the unrest spilling across the
Arab world reached the Gulf last week. A manifesto from a group
calling itself "Youth of Feb. 14" ó after the day of the first
marches ó apparently sought to raise the stakes of demands ahead of
possible talks between the opposition and the monarchy.
(AP, 2/21/11)

2011 Feb 22, Bahrain's king
ordered the release of some political prisoners, conceding to
another opposition demand as the embattled monarchy tries to engage
protesters in talks aimed at ending an uprising that has entered its
second week.
(AP, 2/22/11)

2011 Feb 23, Bahrain released
at least 100 prisoners, including 23 Shiite activists on trial since
last year for plotting against the state. Protesters vowed not to
budge from Pearl Square, the epicenter of anti-regime
demonstrations, despite the release of leading Shiite opposition
activists and renewed calls by the king for talks.
(AFP, 2/23/11)(AP, 2/24/11)

2011 Feb 24, Bahrain protesters
showed no sign of retreat as an anti-government uprising entered its
11th day and opposition groups said the state had not yet met their
pre-conditions for dialogue.
(AP, 2/24/11)

2011 Feb 25, In Bahrain tens of
thousands of anti-government protesters filled Manama in an attempt
to boost pressure for sweeping political concessions before possible
talks to end nearly two weeks of demonstrations and clashes in the
strategic Gulf island kingdom.
(AP, 2/25/11)

2011 Feb 26, A prominent
Bahraini opposition leader, Hassan Mushaima, returned home from
exile and urged the Gulf kingdom's rulers to back up promises of
political reform with action. Thousands of protesters marched from
the capital's landmark Pearl Square to the prime minister's office,
calling for him to resign.
(AP, 2/26/11)

2011 Feb 27, In Bahrain
thousands of protesters streamed through the diplomatic area and
other sites, chanting against the country's king and rejecting his
appeals for talks to end the tiny Gulf nation's nearly two-week-old
crisis.
(AP, 2/27/11)

2011 Mar 3, Bahrainís Shiite
opposition groups, seeking to loosen the Sunni monarchy's grip on
power, said they are ready to negotiate with the Gulf nation's
rulers about political change after weeks of protests. Clashes
between Sunnis and Shiites added to fears that Bahrain could be
dragged deeper into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis backing the
monarchy and Shiites who represent 70 percent of the population.
(AP, 3/3/11)(AP, 3/4/11)

2011 Mar 4, In Bahrain
thousands of anti-government demonstrators streamed toward the
headquarters of state television. Crackdowns by security forces have
left seven dead.
(AP, 3/4/11)

2011 Mar 6, In Bahrain
thousands of Shiite opposition supporters blocked the entrance to
the prime minister's office but failed to disrupt a government
meeting as the campaign for reform in the strategic Gulf nation
enters its third week.
(AP, 3/6/11)

2011 Mar 7, In Bahrain hundreds
of members of the Shiite Muslim majority protested outside the US
Embassy to appeal for Washington to back their campaign for greater
political freedom.
(AP, 3/7/11)

2011 Mar 10, Bahrain's depleted
parliament warned against continued protests near government
ministries, calling Shiite rallies for a leadership overhaul in the
Persian Gulf kingdom illegal. The parliament has been in limbo since
18 opposition legislators resigned last month to protest the
government's deadly crackdown on the demonstrations centered around
a tent complex in Pearl Square in Manama.
(AP, 3/10/11)

2011 Mar 12, In Bahrain tens of
thousands of protesters marched on a royal palace hours after
clashes with police injured dozens of activists.
(AP, 3/12/11)

2011 Mar 13, In Bahrain riot
police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-government
demonstrators blocking the highway into the capital's financial
district and surrounded the protesters' main camp in the capital.
More than 200 people were injured there in clashes between riot
police and demonstrators.
(AP, 3/13/11)(AFP, 3/14/11)

2011 Mar 14, In Bahrain a
parliament bloc appealed for the king to impose martial law. Some
1,000 Saudi troops entered Bahrain as part of the Gulf countries'
joint Peninsula Shield Force.
(AP, 3/14/11)(Econ, 3/19/11, p.56)

2011 Mar 15, Bahrain's king
imposed a 3-month state of emergency and gave the country's military
chief wide authority to battle a pro-democracy uprising that has
threatened the ruling monarchy and drawn in forces from around the
Gulf. Saudi Sgt. Ahmed al-Raddadi was shot and killed by a protester
in Manama. At least 200 people were shot and wounded in a Shiite
village south of Manama. Two people were killed elsewhere.
(AP, 3/15/11)(AFP, 3/16/11)

2011 Mar 16, In Bahrain
soldiers and riot police expelled hundreds of protesters from
landmark square in Manama, using tear gas and armored vehicles to
try to subdue the growing movement challenging the 200-year-old
monarchy. At least five people were killed as clashes flared across
the kingdom. Bahia al-Aradi (51) was driving on a main road in
Manama looking for gasoline when she was shot in the head as she
approached a military checkpoint.
(AP, 3/16/11)(AP, 3/22/11)

2011 Mar 17, Bahrain's Sunni
monarchy detained at least seven prominent opposition activists.
Iran recalled its ambassador to protest the Gulf troops backing the
government against the Shiite protests. Dr. Ali al-Iqri, one of
Bahrain's acclaimed surgeons who had spoken to media at the height
of the unrest, was taken from an operating theater. On Sep 29
al-Iqri was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
(AP, 3/17/11)(AP, 9/29/11)

2011 Mar 18, Bahrain's Shiites
buried their dead amid a continued government crackdown in this
Sunni-ruled island nation in the Persian Gulf.
(AP, 3/18/11)

2011 Mar 19, Bahrain's king
pledged to bring reforms and another demonstrator was confirmed to
have died in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as
international calls mounted for restraint.
(AFP, 3/19/11)

2011 Mar 20, Bahrain's
opposition asked for UN and American intervention in the government
crackdown on the Shiite protests trying to loosen the monarchy's
grip, in a brief protest in the capital that disbanded before police
could arrive to break it up.
(AP, 3/20/11)

2011 Mar 21, Bahrain's king
blamed a foreign plot for his nation's weeks-long unrest, using
veiled language to accuse Iran of fomenting an uprising by the
Shiite majority in the Sunni-ruled island kingdom.
(AP, 3/21/11)

2011 Mar 25, Thousands of
Bahrainis turned out for a sermon of a major Shi'ite cleric ahead of
"Day of Rage" protests planned across the Gulf Arab country despite
a ban imposed under martial law. Security forces fired tear gas and
pellets at anti-government protesters after a prominent Shiite
cleric vowed that their demands for the Sunni monarchy to loosen its
grip on power will not be silenced by "brutal force." Activists said
one person died.
(Reuters, 3/25/11)(AP, 3/25/11)

2011 Mar 27, Bahrain's largest
Shi'ite opposition group Wefaq accepted Kuwait as a mediator with
Bahrain's government to end a political crisis gripping the tiny
kingdom.
(Reuters, 3/27/11)

2011 Mar 28, Bahrain's foreign
minister said it was "completely untrue" that Kuwait would mediate
to resolve the country's political crisis, a reaction leading
opposition group Wefaq said augured badly for any resolution.
(Reuters, 3/28/11)

2011 Apr 1, Bahrain Human
rights organization and opposition groups said at least 20 people
have been killed in total, since protests began February 14 and
hundreds of activists have been either detained or questioned since
martial law went into effect in mid-March.
(AP, 4/1/11)

2011 Apr 1, Bahrain human
rights organization and opposition groups said at least 20 people
have been killed in total, since protests began February 14 and
hundreds of activists have been either detained or questioned since
martial law went into effect in mid-March.
(AP, 4/1/11)

2011 Apr 3, Bahraini
authorities banned Al-Wasat, the country's main opposition
newspaper, in a widening effort to muzzle anti-government media and
crackdown on the Shiite opposition in this Sunni-ruled Gulf nation.
The Information Ministry agreed to allow the newspaper to resume
publishing on April 4 after its editor-in-chief and two other top
editors stepped down.
(AP, 4/3/11)

2011 Apr 5, Bahraini
authorities deported two Iraqi journalists working for the
opposition's main newspaper. The government had accused Al Wasat
newspaper of unethical coverage of the Shiite uprising against the
Sunni rulers. At least 27 people have been killed, since the
protests began in Bahrain in mid-February.
(AP, 4/5/11)

2011 Apr 9, In Bahrain 2
supporters of the anti-government movement died in police custody.
Human rights blogger Zakariya al-Asheri died under police custody.
He was detained in March after authorities imposed martial law to
quell Shiite-led protests against Sunni rulers. On Jan 11, 2012, two
police officers were charged with beating the blogger with a water
hose. Three others were charged with hiding the beatings from prison
authorities.
(SSFC, 4/10/11, p.A4)(AP,
1/11/12)(http://tinyurl.com/7pr4qbw)

2011 Apr 12, In Bahrain Zainab
al-Khawaja (27), the daughter of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja (50), a
prominent human rights activist, went on hunger strike to protest
the arrest of several family members, including her father and her
husband, over anti-government demonstrations. At least 29 people
have been killed since the protests began on Feb. 14. Detainee Karim
Fakhrawy of "Al Wasat" died under police custody.
(AP, 4/12/11)(http://tinyurl.com/7pr4qbw)

2011 Apr 13, Bahrain's Shiite
opposition party said that another one of its supporters, the fourth
to date, has died in police custody. Haji Karim Fakhrawi died in
"mysterious circumstances," while his relatives pointed to a body
covered in bruises saying he had died of torture. The official news
agency cited the medical examiner from the army hospital saying
Fakhrawi died of kidney failure.
(AP, 4/13/11)

2011 Apr 14, Bahrain's justice
minister said Wefaq, the opposition's main Shiite party, will be
dismantled within a month for "threatening peace."
(AP, 4/17/11)

2011 Apr 16, Bahrain detained
Mohammed al-Tajer, a human rights lawyer, and at least two doctors
as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in the Gulf Arab
kingdom. Tareq al-Fursani, a gold medalist in several Asian
championships, was arrested at his home in a village east of the
capital Manama.
(Reuters, 4/16/11)(Reuters, 4/17/11)

2011 Apr 17, The Bahrain News
Agency said 111 employees of the Education Ministry had been
punished for participating in the street marches and strikes last
month.
(AP, 4/17/11)

2011 Apr 18, Bahrainís Foreign
Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa said Gulf troops will
stay until its Sunni rulers are satisfied that threats from Iran
have eased amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent. He also said
Bahrain does not seek to dissolve the main Shiite opposition group
Al-Wefaq, and wants it as a "partner for the future."
(AP, 4/18/11)(AFP, 4/18/11)

2011 Apr 22, Physicians for
Human Rights said at least 32 health care professionals in Bahrain
have been detained since martial law was declared last month to
quell anti-government demonstrations by the country's Shiite
majority demanding greater freedoms and equal rights.
(AP, 4/22/11)

2011 Apr 23, Bahrainís main
opposition party said that government authorities have demolished 16
mosques as part of a crackdown on Shiite dissent.
(SSFC, 4/24/11, p.A6)

2011 Apr 28, A Bahraini
military court convicted four Shiite protesters and sentenced them
to death for the killing of two policemen during anti-government
demonstrations last month. Three other Shiite activists were
sentenced to life in prison for their role in the policemen's
deaths. On Jan 9, 2012, Bahrain's cassation court annulled the death
sentences as well as the life imprisonments and sent to the lower
court of appeal.
(AP, 4/28/11)(AFP, 1/9/12)

2011 May 1, Bahrain's chamber
of commerce called on Gulf Arab nationals to boycott Iranian goods
and halt financial transactions with Tehran, accusing it of
interfering in the country's affairs.
(Reuters, 5/1/11)

2011 May 3, Bahrainís justice
minister said 24 doctors and 23, who treated injured anti-government
protesters during months of unrest in the Gulf kingdom, have been
charged with acts against the state and will be tried in a military
court. Their prosecution began on June 6.
(AP, 5/3/11)(AFP, 5/4/11)(SFC, 6/7/11, p.A2)

2011 May 8, Bahrain's state
news said the Sunni king has ordered a state of emergency to be
lifted from June 1, after imposing it in mid-March following weeks
of Shi'ite-led street protests in the Gulf Arab kingdom. Opposition
leaders appeared in a military court charged as part of a group of
21 with forming a terrorist organization and attempting to overthrow
the monarchy.
(Reuters, 5/8/11)(AFP, 5/8/11)

2011 May 10, In Bahrain
Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, energy minister and chief executive of
the state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), said that 293
employees have been dismissed since the king declared martial law on
March 15 to quell weeks of demonstrations.
(AP, 5/11/11)
2011 May 10, The Gulf
Co-operation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia,
UAE) said it welcomed Jordanís request to join the 6-member group.
Jordan had first applied for membership in the mid-1980s. The GCC
said it would encourage Morocco to also join.
(Econ, 5/21/11,
p.54)(http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13586238)

2011 May 17, Bahrain's
parliament accepted the resignations of the last seven lawmakers of
the Shiite opposition in a move that could exacerbate sectarian
tensions in the strategic Gulf island kingdom.
(AP, 5/17/11)

2011 May 19, A Bahraini
security court announced the sentencing of a prominent Shiite cleric
and eight others to 20 years in prison for the alleged kidnapping of
a police officer.
(AP, 5/19/11)

2011 May 31, Bahrainís King
Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa (61) said he wanted to engage in a national
dialogue. Dismissing the government was not an option as Saudis
apparently insisted that his uncle Prince Khalifa bin Salman
al-Khalifa (75), who has served as prime minister for 40 years, stay
in office.
(Econ, 6/4/11, p.55)

2011 Jun 1, Bahrain ended
emergency rule in Manama, but police remained at numerous
checkpoints in the city. At least 30 people have been killed since
protests began in February.
(SFC, 6/2/11, p.A3)

2011 Jun 11, In Bahrain over
10,000 demonstrators joined the first public rally in months as the
main Shiite party urged backers to press ahead for political rights.
(SSFC, 6/19/11, p.A4)

2011 Jun 12, Bahrain sentenced
Ayat al-Qurmezi to a year in prison on anti-state charges, including
inciting hatred. She had recited poems critical of Bahrainís rulers.
(SFC, 6/13/11, p.A2)

2011 Jun 17, In Bahrain
thousands of Shiites rallied outside Manama in the second mass
demonstration organized by Al-Wefaq opposition group since a
mid-March crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
(AFP, 6/17/11)

2011 Jun 19, In Bahrain lawyers
for three former editors of the main opposition newspaper told a
court the journalists were tricked into publishing false news about
the Sunni monarchy's crackdown on Shiite-led protesters as part of a
plot to undermine a key opposition voice.
(AP, 6/19/11)

2011 Jun 22, Bahrain sentenced
8 prominent Shi'ite Muslim activists and opposition leaders to life
in prison on charges of plotting a coup during protests in the Gulf
island kingdom earlier this year. Witnesses say Bahrain security
forces fired tear gas at protesters after a security court sentenced
Shiite activists to life in prison.
(Reuters, 6/22/11)(AP, 6/22/11)
2011 Jun 22, Bahrain sentenced
opposition leader Ibrahim Sharif to five years in prison for
plotting to overthrow the monarchy. Sharif was released on June 19,
2015.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Sharif)(SSFC, 6/21/15, p.A3)

2011 Jun 29, Bahrainís King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said an independent commission will
investigate allegations of rights violations during anti-government
protests and a deadly crackdown in the Gulf kingdom. At least 31
people have died since February when the country's Shiite majority
started a campaign for greater freedoms and an end to the Sunni hold
on power.
(AP, 6/29/11)

2011 Jun 30, Bahrain stopped
bringing anti-government protesters to trial at a special tribunal
with military prosecutors and moved the proceedings to civilian
courts. Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse
thousands of opposition supporters.
(AP, 6/30/11)(SFC, 7/1/11, p.A2)

2011 Jul 5, In Manama, Bahrain,
reconciliation talks between the Sunni monarchy and the Shiite
opposition started for the first time since the eruption of
anti-government protests.
(AP, 7/6/11)

2011 Jul 6, Human Rights Watch
accused Bahrain of carrying out a "campaign of violent oppression"
against its citizens and called for an end to abuses.
(AFP, 7/6/11)

2011 Jul 15, In Bahrain Zainab
Hasan Ahmed al-Jumaa (47) suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired
by riot police during a demonstration near her home in Sitra, the
hub of Bahrain's oil industry.
(AP, 7/16/11)

2011 Jul 17, Bahrain's main
Shiite opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq, said it was pulling out of a
national dialogue with the government on political reform because
the initiative was not serious.
(AFP, 7/17/11)

2011 Jul 29, Bahrain's main
Shiite opposition formation slammed the national dialogue's
recommendations submitted to King Hamad a day earlier, saying they
do not represent its demands or the will of the people. Al-Wefaq
reiterated its demands for an "elected government," an "elected
parliament which has full legislative powers," and a "fair and
independent judicial system" in the Shiite-majority Gulf nation.
(AFP, 7/29/11)

2011 Aug 31, In Bahrain
hundreds of demonstrators made their boldest attempt in months to
reclaim control of a central square in the capital Manama, which was
the symbolic hub of the protest movement after it began in February.
Riot police used buses to block roads and flooded streets with tear
gas to drive back the marchers before dawn. Ali Jawad Ahmad (14),
died after being hit by a tear gas canister fired at close range by
police.
(AP, 9/1/11)(AP, 9/2/11)

2011 Sep 1, Abdulrahman
al-Nuaimi (67), founder of one of Bahrain's leading opposition
groups, died after more than four years in a coma. From abroad, he
founded an underground resistance group known as the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Bahrain, which was inspired by Arab
nationalist movements in the 1970s.
(AP, 9/1/11)

2011 Sep 7, An international
panel said more than 100 jailed Bahraini activists are on
hunger strike. They included doctors who treated injured protesters
during months of anti-government protests. Bahrain released 7
doctors and 3 ambulance drivers. All doctors and medical staff were
now out on bail "pending announcement of verdicts" on Sep 29.
(AP, 9/7/11)(AFP, 9/8/11)

2011 Sep 21, In Bahrain traffic
was brought to a crawl on many highways after calls by pro-reform
groups to flood the roads with cars in a show of strength before
parliamentary elections later this week.
(AP, 9/21/11)

2011 Sep 24, Bahraini
by-elections, boycotted by the Shiite opposition after it walked out
of parliament over violence against pro-democracy activists,
registered a poor turnout.
(AFP, 9/24/11)

2011 Sep 25, A Bahraini special
court jailed Mahdi Abu Deib, the head of the teachers' union for 10
years, and his deputy Jalila al-Salman, for three years, among other
Shiites over their role in anti-regime protests.
(AFP, 9/25/11)

2011 Sep 29, Bahrain's special
security court sentenced a protester, Ali Yousef Abdulwahab
al-Tawee, to death for killing a policeman, and gave doctors and
nurses who treated injured protesters during the country's uprising
earlier this year lengthy prison sentences. Appeals were pending.
(AP, 9/29/11)

2011 Oct 3, A Bahraini special
court jailed 36 Shiites for up to 25 years each in three separate
cases related to month-long democracy protests in the Gulf kingdom.
(AFP, 10/3/11)

2011 Oct 4, A Bahraini security
court sentenced 26 activists to prison for their part in
anti-government protests, raising to 60 the total number convicted
over the past two days in stepped-up prosecutions by the Gulf
kingdom.
(AP, 10/4/11)

2011 Oct 5, Bahrain's security
court convicted and sentenced 19 more people to prison terms for
taking part in Shiite-led protests against the Gulf nation's ruling
Sunni dynasty. The sentences brought the total number this week to
at least 81.
(AP, 10/5/11)

2011 Oct 6, In Bahrain Ahmed
Jaber al-Qatan (16) was hit by bird shot used by anti-riot police
during a demonstration in western Manama. The interior ministry
confirmed his death the next day, saying the youth died of a cardiac
arrest.
(AP, 10/7/11)

2011 Oct 19, The Obama
administration said it has agreed to delay a $53 million arms sale
to Bahrain because of the kingdomís continuing crackdown on the
opposition.
(SFC, 10/20/11, p.A2)

2011 Nov 5, Bahrain released
Zulfiqar Naji (17), an Iraqi football player, as a goodwill gesture
to mark a key Muslim holiday. Naji, who played on the junior team
for Bahraini club Al Muharraq, was seized from a home in April on
suspicion of participating in protests against the Sunni monarchy.
Bahrain said it has released more than 300 prisoners in honor of Eid
al-Adha.
(AP, 11/5/11)

2011 Nov 12, The Bahraini
interior ministry announced that four members of a cell planning
attacks were detained in Qatar and turned over to Manama, while a
fifth suspect was arrested in Bahrain. The Sunni-ruled Arab
monarchies of the Gulf have repeatedly accused mainly Shiite Iran of
meddling in their internal affairs.
(AFP, 11/13/11)

2011 Nov 18, In Bahrain
thousands of Shiite-led protesters calling for greater rights
streamed into an area outside the capital Manama.
(AP, 11/18/11)

2011 Nov 19, In Bahrain Ali
Youssef Bagdar (16) died in the early morning after a police vehicle
ran him over during a demonstration in the Juffair area of Manama.
Dozens were wounded when security forces attacked a funeral
procession for the 16-year-old boy.
(AP, 11/19/11)(AP, 11/20/11)

2011 Nov 21, Authorities in
Bahrain said prosecutors have charged 20 members of the security
forces for alleged abuse of protesters during a Shiite-led uprising
against the Gulf kingdom's Sunni rulers.
(AP, 11/21/11)

2011 Nov 23, Bahrain riot
police fired tear gas and stun grenades at demonstrators after
clashes erupted just hours before the release of an independent
report into alleged abuses by security forces against the country's
majority Shiites, who have opened a sustained uprising for greater
rights. Cherif Basiouni, former UN war-crimes lawyer and chair of a
5-person panel, described systematic torture of prisoners by
security forces. A $53 million US arms deal with Bahrain is on hold
until the upcoming report is examined.
(AP, 11/23/11)(Econ, 11/19/11, p.60)

2011 Dec 2, It was reported
that former British police boss John Yates and US ex-cop John
Timoney will oversee reforms to Bahrain's security force after a
report found it guilty of human rights abuses. Yates, who quit as
head of Britain's Metropolitan police force in July over a
phone-hacking scandal, and Timoney, former head of Miami police,
were asked to modernize Bahrainís police force in order to meet
international human rights standards.
(AFP, 12/2/11)

2011 Dec 7, Bahrain's Health
Ministry said a woman (27), who was seriously hurt during a recent
anti-government protest, has died of her injuries. Bahrain halted
trial proceedings for over 100 athletes and dropped all charges
related to their participation in street protests against the
island's Sunni monarchy. It was unclear what will happen to athletes
already convicted.
(AP, 12/6/11)(AP, 12/8/11)

2011 Dec 16, In Bahrain a
protester was killed after reportedly being hit by a police car
during a rally.
(AP, 12/17/11)

2011 Dec 17, Opposition
supporters in Bahrain clashed with police for a third straight day
along a main highway west of the capital.
(AP, 12/17/11)

2011 Dec 18, Police in Bahrain
fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators chanting
anti-government slogans after the funeral of an elderly man who
witnesses say died from tear gas inhalation a day earlier.
(AP, 12/18/11)

2011 Dec 20, The Bahrain News
Agency said the king issued a decree ordering government agencies to
reinstate 180 government employees who were fired on suspicion of
participating in opposition rallies. Bahraini labor groups claimed
up to 2,500 people were purged from jobs during the unrest. The
government put the number at 1,623.
(AP, 12/20/11)

2011 Dec 22, Bahrain's official
news agency said 79 education ministry employees who were dismissed
from their jobs during months of protests will get their jobs back
by January 1.
(AP, 12/22/11)

2011 Dec 23, Bahrainís security
forces firing rubber bullets and tear gas attacked the headquarters
of the main Shiite opposition party in Manama after the group
challenged a new government ban on its weekly protests. Authorities
banned the weekly Friday protests for the first time since emergency
laws were lifted in June.
(AP, 12/23/11)

2011 Dec 31, In Bahrain Sayed
Hashim Saeed (15) died after a tear gas canister fired at close
range hit him in the chest.
(AP, 1/1/12)

2012 Jan 1, Riot police in
Bahrain fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades as they
clashed with hundreds of opposition supporters, some hurling Molotov
cocktails, following the politically charged funeral of a
15-year-old boy. Bahrain's new police chief announced that the
kingdom would hire an additional 500 police officers "from all
sections of Bahrain society."
(AP, 1/1/12)

2012 Jan 6, In Bahrain Nabeel
Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was
reported to have been beaten by members of the security forces
during a rally in Manama.
(AP, 1/6/12)

2012 Jan 7, In Bahrain
anti-government protesters converged on the headquarters of the main
opposition party, defying a government ban on the gathering and
pressing ahead with their campaign for greater political and civil
rights for the nation's Shiite Muslims.
(AP, 1/7/12)

2012 Jan 15, Bahrain's King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa promised that the strife-wracked Gulf
nation will move ahead with political reforms that widen the powers
of the elected parliament to oversee governments selected by the
ruling monarchy.
(AP, 1/15/12)

2012 Jan 25, Security forces in
Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenade after opposition groups
staged a rare march into the center of the capital Manama.
(AP, 1/25/12)

2012 Jan 26, Bahrain
authorities say a detainee has died after being taken into custody a
day earlier during clashes between security forces and Shiite-led
protesters.
(AP, 1/26/12)

2012 Jan 29, Bahraini detainees
and activists convicted for taking part in anti-government
demonstrations last year began a hunger strike protesting a new
crackdown on demonstrators.
(AFP, 1/28/12)

2012 Feb 7, Jailed Bahraini
activists ended a hunger strike after eight days of refusing to eat
in protest at a new crackdown on demonstrations. A week-long rally
called for by the Shiite-led opposition was concluded.
(AFP, 2/8/12)

2012 Feb 10, In Bahrain tens of
thousands of anti-government protesters streamed toward an empty lot
dubbed 'Freedom Square' in the village of Miqsha outside the capital
Manama. They sought to occupy the site for the one-year anniversary
of their uprising in the Gulf kingdom. Three people were severely
wounded by tear gas canisters fired at the protesters.
(AP, 2/10/12)(AFP, 2/11/12)

2012 Feb 14, Bahraini security
forces fanned out in unprecedented numbers as the island nation was
marking the one-year anniversary of the Shiite-led uprising against
its Sunni rulers. Police arrested some 150 people while dispersing
protesters attempting to march on the former Pearl Square.
(AP, 2/14/12)(AFP, 2/15/12)

2012 Feb 15, Bahraini police
fired tear gas and birdshot at pro-democracy protesters and arrested
dozens in clashes that raged overnight and into early today, as the
kingdom marked the first anniversary of a Shiite-led uprising.
(AFP, 2/15/12)

2012 Feb 17, Bahrain announced
the deportation of four foreign activists for "taking part in
illegal demonstrations," bringing to 12 the number expelled over the
past week.
(AFP, 2/18/12)

2012 Mar 9, In Bahrain tens of
thousands of anti-government protesters flooded a major highway in
one of the largest opposition rallies in months against the Gulf
nation's Sunni rulers. Security forces fired tear gas at smaller
groups attempting to reach a heavily guarded square that was once
the hub of the uprising.
(AP, 3/9/12)

2012 Mar 13, In Bahrain vandals
smashed the windows of one of countryís oldest Shiite mosques and
ransacked offices and prayer areas, making sure to pull down some
framed parchments with Quranic verses. Shiite clerics claim at least
38 mosques and affiliated sites, such as charity offices, have been
destroyed since the revolt began in February 2011.
(AP, 3/21/12)

2012 Mar 15, Bahrain riot
police fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets at
protesters, who were marking the first anniversary of the deployment
of a Saudi-led military force in Bahrain.
(AP, 3/15/12)

2012 Apr 6, In Bahrain
thousands of protesters chanted slogans in support of a jailed human
rights activist whose nearly two-month hunger strike has become a
powerful rallying point for the tiny nation's Shiite-led uprising
against the Sunni monarchy.
(AP, 4/6/12)

2012 Apr 9, In Bahrain jailed
activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was feared to have died after Bahraini
authorities turned down repeated requests to contact him. A blast
injured seven policemen and led to reprisals by Sunni mobs.
(AFP, 4/9/12)(AP, 4/11/12)

2012 Apr 11, In Bahrain mobs
with iron rods and sticks ransacked a supermarket belonging to a
major Shiite-owned business group, as part of a spike in violence in
the Gulf nation in retaliation for a bomb attack on police.
(AP, 4/11/12)

2012 Apr 15, Bahrain's Shiite
opposition announced a week of daily pro-democracy protests until
after the controversial Formula One Grand Prix race scheduled for
April 22.
(AFP, 4/15/12)

2012 Apr 18, The Bahrain Youth
Society for Human Rights said the government has arrested about 80
leading democracy activists in an attempt to contain anti-government
protests ahead of the April 22 Formula One Grand Prix race.
(AFP, 4/18/12)

2012 Apr 20, Bahrain's most
senior Shiite cleric, Sheik Isa Qassim, condemned the Sunni rulers
for staging the F1 race despite opposition protests. Opposition
leaders from Bahrain's largest Shiite bloc, Al-Wefaq, said at least
50 people have been injured in the past two days when security
forces fired pellets to disperse protesters on several occasions.
Tens of thousands flooded a major highway demanding a halt to the
Formula One race.
(AP, 4/20/12)(SFC, 4/21/12, p.A2)

2012 Apr 22, Bahrain's Formula
One Grand Prix went ahead despite a week of daily protests amid
rising tensions between the kingdom's Sunni rulers and their
majority Shiite population. Protesters burnt tires on the main road
linking the capital to Sakhir race track, as security forces stopped
dozens of others from marching towards the now demolished Pearl
Square in central Manama. The British Channel 4 News crew, including
foreign correspondent Jonathan Miller, were arrested while covering
a series of Shiite-led anti-government protests. Bahrain had paid
$40 million to the sportís governing body to host the race.
(AFP, 4/23/12)(Econ, 4/21/12, p.63)

2012 Apr 25, In Bahrain
an overnight bomb attack carried out by "terrorists" wounded
four policemen in the Shiite-populated village of Diraz. Police also
raided 11 homes and arrested six people.
(AFP, 4/25/12)

2012 May 3, Bahrainís King
Hamad ratified amendments to the constitution aimed at defusing
unrest in the strategic Gulf state, but the opposition dismissed the
extra powers given to parliament as not enough.
(AFP, 5/3/12)

2012 May 5, Four Bahraini
policemen were wounded in a "terrorist" attack in a Shiite village,
one of them critically. They had arrived in Bani Jamra before dawn
to disperse dozens of protesters, who were blocking roads in the
village.
(AFP, 5/5/12)
2012 May 5, In Bahrain rights
activist Nabeel Rajab was detained for releasing tweets deemed
insulting to the government.
(AFP, 5/13/12)

2012 May 14, Liberal civil
society groups in Gulf states called on Saudi and Bahraini leaders
to postpone plans to announce a union between them, saying such a
step must be preceded by a referendum.
(AFP, 5/14/12)

2012 May 18, In Iran thousands
of people demonstrated in Tehran to protest a proposed union of
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
(AFP, 5/18/12)

2012 May 27, A Bahrain court
sentenced 8 people to prison terms of up to 15 years after they were
accused of plotting with suspected Iranian agents to topple the Gulf
kingdom's ruling system. They included three activists put on trial
in absentia.
(AP, 5/27/12)

2012 Jun 9, Bahraini police
wounded several people when they fired sound bombs, tear gas and
bird shot to disperse dozens who protested across several Shiite
areas.
(AFP, 6/9/12)

2012 Jun 14, Bahrain's appeals
court acquitted 9 medics and cut the jail terms of 9 others for
their role in anti-regime protests last year, in a case widely
criticized by rights groups. Two others arrested in the crackdown,
who remain at large, did not appeal. Many of the 20 medics, 15 of
whom are doctors, alleged they were tortured in prison.
(AFP, 6/14/12)

2012 Jun 21, Bahraini police
said they had arrested five of a group of 20 people wanted over
"terror attacks," including for alleged bombings and causing harm to
civilians and security personnel.
(AFP, 6/21/12)

2012 Jul 3, Bahraini
authorities said they have launched an investigation against 15
police officers over allegations of abuse involving inmates.
(AP, 7/3/12)

2012 Jul 9, Nabeel Rajab, a
prominent Bahraini human rights activist, was found guilty and
sentenced to three months in jail on charges linked to
anti-government comments he made on social media.
(AP, 7/9/12)

2012 Jul 18, Bahrainís public
security chief Major-General Tariq al-Hassan announced on the arrest
of suspect Hussain Isa Mohammed Isa Adam, included in the list of 20
people accused of terrorist blasts.
(AFP, 7/19/12)

2012 Aug 7, Bahrain authorities
charged 15 policemen with mistreating medics during last year's
crackdown on opposition protesters. An independent commission found
3 protesters were shot at close range. Bahrain said in June that 3
police officers would be charged with murder.
(AP, 8/7/12)

2012 Aug 12, Bahrain sentenced
a 19-year-old man two-years in jail for defaming one of the Prophet
Muhammad's wives. The court heard how the unnamed man "posted filthy
and depraved comments" on a website that slandered Muhammad's wife
Aisha.
(AP, 8/13/12)

2012 Aug 16, Prominent Bahraini
human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was found guilty of calling and
participating in several illegal gatherings and sentenced to three
years in jail. In December an appeals court reduced the his sentence
from three years to two.
(AP, 8/16/12)(AP, 12/11/12)

2012 Aug 23, A Bahrain appeals
court acquitted activist Nabeel Rajab (48), who had been sentenced
to three months in jail for alleged insults issued via Twitter, but
he must still serve a three-year term for taking part in protests.
(AFP, 8/23/12)

2012 Aug 25, In Bahrain a large
crowd attacked a police station in the Shiite village of Sitra with
petrol bombs, as sporadic protests intensify in the Sunni-ruled
Shiite-majority Gulf state.
(AFP, 8/26/12)

2012 Oct 5, Bahrain riot police
used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of
anti-government protesters trying to reach a heavily guarded site
that was once the hub of their uprising.
(AP, 10/5/12)

2012 Oct 17, Bahrain detained
four people for defaming the island's king with Twitter posts in a
case that is likely to test the limits of expression in the
violence-wracked Gulf nation. The four will be held for seven days
pending trial.
(AP, 10/18/12)

2012 Nov 5, In Bahrain a series
of bomb blasts Manama killed two people. Four suspects were arrested
the next day.
(AP, 11/5/12)(AP, 11/7/12)

2012 Nov 7, Bahrainís
government cited security concerns and revoked the citizenship of 31
men, including exiled political activists and former opposition
members of Parliament.
(SFC, 11/8/12, p.A3)

2012 Nov 26, In Bahrain riot
police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse thousands of
marchers trying to reach a heavily guarded square that was once the
hub of their anti-government uprising.
(AP, 11/26/12)

2012 Dec 16, In Bahrain police
fired tear gas at anti-government protesters who took to the streets
after King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa called for unity Sunday in a
speech for the kingdom's national day.
(AP, 12/16/12)

2012 Dec 17, Security forces in
Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenades to break up protest
marchers after calls by anti-government groups to snarl the Gulf
nation's capital with demonstrators to mark an annual commemoration
for two protesters killed in 1994.
(AP, 12/17/12)

2012 Dec 31, Residents of Saudi
Arabia, where booze and New Year's celebrations are banned, flooded
into neighboring Bahrain in search of festivities to ring in 2013.
(AP, 1/1/13)

2013 Jan 11, In Bahrain a fire
killed 13 people in a migrant labor camp in Manama.
(AP, 1/12/13)

2013 Jan 25, In Bahrain
hundreds of anti-government protesters clashed with riot police in
Manama after authorities denied a request for a major opposition
rally.
(AP, 1/25/13)

2013 Feb 6, In Bahrain
thousands of protesters demonstrated against the Gulf nation's
monarchy, less than a week before planned talks aimed at easing a
two-year political crisis.
(AP, 2/6/13)

2013 Feb 10, Opposing factions
in Bahrain began talks to ease an Arab Spring conflict that has run
longer than Syria's rebellion and is playing out on the doorstep of
the US military's main naval base in the Persian Gulf.
(AP, 2/10/13)

2013 Feb 14, Security forces in
Bahrain clashed with anti-government protesters in street battles
that left at least one boy dead amid high tensions on the second
anniversary of the uprising in the Gulf nation. A 16-year-old male
and a policeman were killed on the second anniversary of the
Shiite-led uprising.
(AP, 2/14/13)(AP, 2/15/13)

2013 Feb 15, In Bahrain
thousands of anti-government marchers jammed a major highway as
clashes broke out for a second day between security forces and
protesters marking the anniversary of their uprising.
(AP, 2/15/13)

2013 Feb 17, Bahrain's interior
ministry said police have arrested eight members of an alleged
terrorist cell linked to Iran and other countries following
widespread clashes in the Gulf nation during protests marking the
second anniversary of an Arab Spring-inspired uprising.
(AP, 2/17/13)

2013 Feb 22, In Bahrain a
protester (20) died from a head injury sustained Feb. 14 when he was
hit with a tear gas canister fired by security forces.
(AP, 2/22/13)

2013 Mar 1, A senior Bahrain
prosecutor said an appeals court has overturned the acquittal and
sentenced the daughter of a jailed opposition leader to three months
in prison. Zainab al-Khawaja was convicted of insulting a public
employee.
(AP, 3/1/13)

2013 Mar 11, In Bahrain Yousef
al-Muhafedha, acting president of the Bahrain Human Rights Center,
was found not guilty of posting inaccurate news on Twitter about
some anti-government protests.
(AP, 3/11/13)

2013 Mar 13, Bahrainís public
prosecutor's office said six people have been detained over the last
couple of days for allegedly defaming the country's ruler on
Twitter.
(AP, 3/13/13)

2013 Mar 14, In Bahrain
thousands of anti-government protesters threw firebombs and stones
at riot police and burned tires on the 2nd anniversary of the
intervention by a Saudi-led force in the island's crisis.
(AP, 3/14/13)

2013 Mar 17, In Bahrain 17
suspected anti-government protesters were sentenced to 15-year
prison sentences for links to a bombing last year that injured four
policemen. 8 of the defendants were in custody, and the others were
tried in absentia.
(AP, 3/17/13)

2013 Mar 26, In Bahrain 13
pro-democracy activists were sentenced to 10 years in prison over
allegations that they attacked police officers.
(SFC, 3/27/13, p.A2)

2013 Mar 28, Bahrain cleared 21
medical personnel of charges linked to anti-government protests, but
cases remain open against two others who failed to appear in court.
(AP, 3/28/13)

2013 Apr 9, Bahrain arrested
four suspects after homemade firebombs were hurled the previous
evening at the foreign ministry in a possible escalation of
anti-government protests.
(AP, 4/9/13)

2013 Apr 12, In Bahrain
thousands of anti-government demonstrators joined a march that
included breakaway protests against the scheduled Formula One race
later this month.
(AP, 4/12/13)

2013 Apr 15, Bahrain media said
the government has backed proposals to impose penalties of up five
years in prison for insulting the Gulf state's king or its national
symbols.
(AP, 4/15/13)

2013 Apr 16, Bahrain police
raided a boys' high school in Manama and fired tear gas in clashes
with students angry over the arrest of fellow student Hassan Humidan
(17) the day before.
(AP, 4/16/13)

2013 May 5, A Bahrain court
sentenced 31 Sitra island protesters, aged 16 to 34, to 15 years in
prison each for roles in firebomb attacks against security forces
during an anti-government demonstration last year.
(AP, 5/5/13)

2013 May 22, Bahrain's Interior
Ministry said an Iranian drone has been found in the strategic Gulf
kingdom.
(AP, 5/22/13)

2013 May 29, In Bahrain a
bombing, described as a "terrorist" attack, wounded seven policemen.
Police the next day arrested 3 suspects.
(AP, 5/30/13)

2013 Jul 4, Bahrain sentenced
29 protesters to one month in prison for trying to enter a heavily
guarded area last year that was once the center of the Gulf nation's
anti-government uprising.
(AP, 7/5/13)

2013 Jul 7, Bahrain said twin
attacks have left a policeman dead and three injured in the latest
sign of targeted strikes by anti-government factions.
(AP, 7/7/13)

2013 Jul 21, Bahrain said
authorities have arrested three suspects in connection with a
bombing last week outside a mosque near the royal residences. No one
was injured in the July 17 blast.
(AP, 7/21/13)

2013 Aug 10, Bahrain said it
has has deported a US nursery school teacher who wrote articles on
social media sites linked to radical groups and for violating the
terms of her work permit.
(Reuters, 8/11/13)

2013 Aug 14, Bahraini
protesters clashed with riot police in neighborhoods around the
capital. Stores shut their doors amid opposition calls for a general
strike, but a tight security clampdown stopped large-scale
demonstrations in the city.
(AP, 8/14/13)

2013 Aug 16, A Bahrain activist
said at least 40 prisoners were hurt when security forces used
batons, tear gas, pepper spray and stun grenades against inmates
protesting over their conditions.
(Reuters, 8/16/13)

2013 Aug 23, Thousands of
Bahrainis were allowed to march peacefully outside Manama calling
for democratic reforms, 10 days after police cracked down on
scattered protests organized by an online group inspired by recent
demonstrations in Egypt.
(Reuters, 8/23/13)

2013 Sep 24, In Bahrain Taqi
al-Maidan (25), an American citizen, was among four suspects
sentenced on charges that include trying to kill a policeman. He was
sentenced to 10 years in prison.
(AP, 9/24/13)

2013 Sep 29, A Bahraini court
handed jail terms of up to 15 years to 50 Shiites, including a
prominent Iraqi cleric, convicted of forming a clandestine
opposition group. Some of the 50 people jailed were also convicted
of spying for Iran and had planned "vandalism and rioting" with the
backing of the Islamic Republic.
(AFP, 9/29/13)(Reuters, 10/1/13)

2013 Oct 3, A Bahrain court
jailed four Shiites for life after convicting them of detonating a
bomb targeting police that wounded an Asian man.
(AFP, 10/3/13)

2013 Oct 7, Bahrain sentenced
nine people to life in prison after trial on charges of bomb-making
in the restive Gulf nation.
(AP, 10/7/13)

2013 Oct 10, A Bahraini court
sentenced 18 Shiites to between five and seven years in prison after
they were convicted of attacking a police station.
(AFP, 10/10/13)

2013 Oct 22, In Bahrain a
teenager was killed when an explosive device he was carrying
detonated prematurely as he attempted to stage an attack in the
tense Gulf nation.
(AP, 10/23/13)

2013 Oct 30, Riot police in
Bahrain stormed an exhibition dedicated to the Arab Spring-inspired
uprising. The raid came two days after the opening of the
museum-style hall, which included scenes depicting Bahrain's
32-month unrest, such as protesters killed in clashes, alleged
torture inside prisons and demonstrators running from tear gas.
(AP, 10/30/13)

2013 Nov 3, The head of
Bahrain's main opposition group, Ali Salman, was charged with
insulting authorities through an exhibition that showed alleged
abuses against anti-government protesters. A court sentenced four
Shi'ite Muslims to life and six others to 15 years in jail on
charges of setting up a militant cell linked to Iran's Revolutionary
Guard that aimed at assassinating public figures in Bahrain.
(AP, 11/3/13)(Reuters, 11/4/13)(SFC, 11/4/13,
p.A2)

2013 Nov 24, A Bahraini court
sentenced 12 Shiites to 10-year jail terms after convicting them of
trying to kill policemen in a village near the capital. State media
said authorities have arrested two Gulf citizens who were former
Guantanamo detainees on suspicion of preparing a "terrorist act."
(AFP, 11/24/13)

2013 Dec 11, A Bahraini court
sentenced 12 Shiite Muslims to 15-year jail terms for attacking a
car warehouse during unrest in the Sunni-ruled kingdom in February
2012.
(AFP, 12/11/13)

2013 Dec 28, Bahrainís police
arrested Ali Salman (48), head of the main Shiite opposition bloc
Al-Wefaq that has spearheaded protests against the authorities in
the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Salman was freed the next day but he was
forbidden from any travel.
(AFP, 12/28/13)(AFP, 12/29/13)

2013 Dec 30, Bahraini
authorities said they have seized a boat smuggling explosives made
in Iran and Syria into the Sunni-ruled kingdom, which quashed a
Shiite-led uprising in 2011.
(AFP, 12/30/13)

2014 Jan 4, Bahrain named Ali
Mafoudh al-Moussawi, a Bahraini citizen who lives in Iran, as a main
suspect in planned "terrorist acts" and said he and his
collaborators had received training and other help from Tehran.
(Reuters, 1/4/14)

2014 Jan 8, A Bahraini court
sentenced 22 Shiites to 15 years in prison over the killing of a
policeman and the wounding of another in an attack outside Manama.
(AP, 1/8/14)

2014 Jan 26, Bahraini police
firing teargas and birdshot clashed with stone-throwing protesters
in a village west of the capital after the funeral of Fadhel Abbas
(20) who died in custody. Abbas was detained on Jan 8 on suspicion
of smuggling weapons and explosives and died late on Jan 25.
(Reuters, 1/26/14)

2014 Feb 14, In Bahrain a blast
struck a bus carrying police as anti-government activists clashed
with police on the third anniversary of the uprising in the small
Gulf island nation. One policeman died of wounds sustained in the
bomb blast. 26 people were arrested. Another 29 were arrested a day
earlier.
(AP, 2/14/14)(AFP, 2/15/14)

2014 Feb 15, In Bahrain
supporters of the main Shiite opposition bloc joined the anniversary
rally called by the opposition Al-Wefaq movement to press its
campaign for a constitutional monarchy. Thousands clashed with
security forces and brought the streets of Manama to a standstill.
(AP, 2/15/14)(SSFC, 2/16/14, p.A7)

2014 Feb 26, In Bahrain Jaffar
Mohammed Jaffar (23), suffering from sickle-cell anemia, died a week
after being taken to the hospital. Jaffar was one of several
suspects detained in connection with an operation in December that
resulted in the seizure of stocks of weapons and explosives,
including some being smuggled in by sea.
(AP, 2/26/14)

2014 Mar 3, In Bahrain an
explosion that went off while policemen were dispersing
demonstrators killed three police personnel. 25 people were arrested
over the next 24 hours on suspicion of involvement.
(Reuters, 3/3/14)(SFC, 3/5/14, p.A2)

2014 Mar 5, Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from
Qatar in an unprecedented public split between Gulf Arab allies who
have fallen out over the role of Islamists in a region in turmoil.
(Reuters, 3/5/14)

2014 Mar 10, Two Bahraini
suspects, one with a US passport, were arrested after they allegedly
"demonstrated and attacked a police patrol using Molotov cocktails
and iron bars" in the Shiite village of Maameer.
(AFP, 3/11/14)

2014 Mar 30, A Bahrain court
sentenced 13 people to life in prison for attempting to kill a
policeman, attacking a police car and taking part in an illegal
protest in March, 2012. One person was sentenced to 10 years in jail
in the same case.
(AP, 3/30/14)

2014 Apr 19, In Bahrain an
apparent car bombing killed two people and wounded one in Mughsha, a
village west of Manama.
(AP, 4/19/14)

2014 Apr 29, In Bahrain female
activists Nafisa al-Asfoor and Rayhana al-Musawi were convicted,
along with three male accomplices in connection with what
authorities say was an attempt to bomb last year's Formula One race.
No explosives were detonated at the 2013 race.
(AP, 4/29/14)

2014 May 25, Prominent Bahraini
Shiite activist Nabil Rajab issued an appeal for "serious dialogue"
in the Sunni-ruled kingdom following his release after serving a
two-year jail term.
(AFP, 5/25/14)

2014 Jun 5, A Bahraini court
convicted and sentenced four Shiites to life imprisonment over the
death of an Asian man in a Nov 5, 2012, bomb attack in Manama.
(AP, 6/5/14)

2014 Jul 5, In Bahrain police
officer Mahmood Fareed died of wounds sustained in a blast, which
occurred the day before in the village of Eker, south of the
capital, Manama.
(AP, 7/5/14)

2014 Jul 7, Bahrain ordered US
diplomat Tom Malinowski to leave the country after he met with a
leading Shiite opposition group.
(AP, 7/7/14)(Econ, 7/12/14, p.42)

2014 Aug 6, Bahrain convicted
nine opposition activists of various public security charges and
stripped them of their citizenship. They received prison terms
ranging from seven to 22 years.
(AP, 8/6/14)

2014 Aug 23, In Bahrain
thousands of Shiites protested against what they say are attempts by
the Sunni authorities to tip the kingdom's demographic balance in
their favor by naturalizing foreigners.
(AFP, 8/23/14)

2014 Sep 6, A Bahrain court
ruled that prominent rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja be kept
behind bars for an extra 10 days despite a UN call for her release.
She was arrested for assaulting a police officer after arriving at
Manama airport on August 30. Khawaja accused police of attacking her
at the airport.
(AFP, 9/6/14)

2014 Sep 23, The United States
and its Arab allies bombed Syria for the first time. Bahrain,
Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
participated in or supported the strikes against Islamic State
targets. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 70
Islamic State fighters were killed in strikes that hit at least 50
targets in Raqqa and Deir al-Zor and Hasakah provinces. It also said
at least 50 fighters and 8 civilians were killed in strikes
targeting al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, in northern
Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
(Reuters, 9/23/14)

2014 Oct 14, Bahraini
authorities ordered pro-democracy activist Zainab al-Khawaja to be
detained for questioning for seven days after a judge accused her of
insulting King Hamad by tearing up his picture.
(Reuters, 10/15/14)

2014 Oct 28, A Bahraini court
banned the Gulf state's main opposition movement for three months,
just weeks before a parliamentary election the group had already
said it would boycott.
(AFP, 10/28/14)

2014 Nov 2, A Bahraini court
freed prominent Shiite activist Nabeel Rajab but barred him from
travel until his trial resumes over remarks on Twitter deemed
insulting to public institutions.
(AFP, 11/2/14)

2014 Nov 16, Gulf states agreed
to welcome Qatar back to the fold following a row over its support
for Islamists. Last March Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE
announced the withdrawal of their envoys from Qatar in protest at
its "interference" in their internal affairs by supporting
Islamists.
(AFP, 11/19/14)

2014 Nov 21, In Bahrain
activists staged a mock referendum asking residents of Shiite areas
if they wanted a new political system under United Nations
supervision. Witnesses said police used tear gas to disperse
protesters in some Shiite villages ahead of the vote.
(AP, 11/22/14)

2014 Nov 22, Bahrain voters
cast ballots in the island kingdom's first full parliamentary
election since Arab Spring-inspired protests. A boycott by the
country's opposition overshadowed the vote.
(AP, 11/22/14)

2014 Nov 29, Bahraini voters
returned to the polls for a runoff election being boycotted by the
opposition. Pro-government candidates took the majority of contested
seats in the parliamentary election.
(AP, 11/29/14)(AP, 11/30/14)

2014 Dec 1, Bahraini human
rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja was jailed for a year in absentia
for assaulting two policewomen. His father has been detained since
2011.
(Reuters, 12/1/14)

2014 Dec 6, Bahrain and
Britain said they planned to open a new military camp in Bahrain.
This would be Britainís 1st permanent camp in the Middle East region
since it officially pulled out from the area in 1971.
(http://tinyurl.com/lz2apn3)

2014 Dec 8, In Bahrain a
Jordanian officer on a security exchange program was killed in the
village of Damistan.
(Reuters, 12/9/14)

2014 Dec 9, In Bahrain an
explosion killed a citizen and wounded an expatriate man in the
second fatal attack in the Gulf Arab state in two days.
(Reuters, 12/9/14)
2014 Dec 9, The six-member Gulf
Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
UAE) agreed to create a joint naval force based out of Bahrain and
announced a police force based in Abu Dhabi.
(SSFC, 12/14/14, p.A22)

2014 Dec 27, Bahrain's main
opposition movement Al-Wefaq handed its leader, Sheikh Ali Salman
(49), a new four-year stint at the helm of the Shiite group. Wefaq
activities have been banned in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
(AFP, 12/27/14)

2014 Dec 28, In Bahrain
scattered clashes broke out between protesters and government forces
after Sheikh Ali Salman, the secretary general of the Shiite
opposition al-Wefaq, was detained by the Interior Ministry for
inciting hatred against the government.
(SFC, 12/29/14, p.A2)

2014 Dec 29, A Bahrain court
sentenced two Shi'ite Muslim men to death and handed a third a life
sentence after they were convicted of killing a policeman. The three
were among 12 people charged with a bomb attack last February.
(Reuters, 12/29/14)

2014 Dec 30, Bahrain security
forces clashed with demonstrators outside the home of Sheikh Ali
Salman, the detained head of al-Wefaq, the main Shi'ite Muslim
opposition group.
(Reuters, 12/30/14)

2015 Jan 13, A Bahraini court
sentenced a former lawmaker from the island kingdom's main Shiite
opposition group to six months in jail over a social media posting.
Jamil Kadhim was convicted of spreading false information over a
tweet alleging that authorities were offering money to encourage
candidates to enter parliamentary elections in November.
(AP, 1/13/15)

2015 Jan 19, Bahrain
prosecutors charged Sheikh Ali Salman, the Shiite opposition chief
in custody since Dec 28, with attempting to overthrow the regime and
sent him to trial despite international calls for his release.
(AFP, 1/19/15)

2015 Jan 20, A Bahrain court
sentenced prominent Shiite activist Nabeel Rajab to six months in
prison after it found him guilty of insulting public institutions in
his tweets. The ruling was subject to appeal.
(AFP, 1/20/15)

2015 Jan 31, Sunni-ruled
Bahrain said it has revoked the citizenship of 72 people convicted
of "harming the interests of the kingdom" in unrest by the Shiite
majority since 2011. The official BNA news agency published a list
of the 72 people affected by the measure.
(AFP, 1/31/15)

2015 Feb 1, Outspoken
billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal launched a pan-Arab
satellite news channel aimed at challenging established networks in
the region. The Bahrain-based Alarab News Channel took to the air,
leading with a story about Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.
(AFP, 2/1/15)

2015 Feb 2, In Bahrain the new
Alarab television news channel backed by a billionaire Saudi prince
was suspended from broadcasting, just hours after it went on air and
carried an interview with prominent opposition activist Khalil
al-Marzooq.
(AP, 2/2/15)

2015 Feb 9, Bahrain said it
suspended a new pan-Arab news channel backed by a billionaire Saudi
prince within hours of its first broadcast because it failed to
obtain a proper license and did not meet anti-terrorist standards.
The Alarab network disappeared from TV screens early on Feb 2, a day
after its launch.
(AP, 2/9/15)

2015 Feb 14, In Bahrain
protesters took to the streets in predominantly Shiite areas and set
tires alight along a major highway to mark the fourth anniversary of
widespread protests calling for reform.
(AP, 2/14/15)

2015 Feb 15, Bahrain said it
will send troops to support regional ally Jordan.
(AP, 2/15/15)

2015 Feb 16, Bahrain said it
has deployed fighter planes to help support Jordan, a day after it
announced plans to send troops to the kingdom.
(AP, 2/16/15)

2015 Feb 26, A Bahraini court
sentenced three Shiites to death and jailed seven others for life
after convicting them of killing 3 policemen in the Sunni-ruled Gulf
state last year. The supreme criminal court also stripped eight of
the defendants of their Bahraini citizenship over the March 3, 2014,
bombing in a Shiite village.
(AFP, 2/26/15)

2015 Mar 10, Bahraini security
forces tear-gassed and beat inmates at a prison while trying to
quell clashes that erupted during family visits, causing some
injuries among the detainees.
(Reuters, 3/10/15)

2015 Mar 12, Bahraini
authorities arrested three suspects after a firefight in the capital
Manama broke out in the city's busy Juffair district.
(AFP, 3/13/15)

2015 Mar 16, Bahrain
authorities arrested a young man who was trying to smuggle in
bomb-making materials from Iraq. He told authorities a relative who
lives in Iraq, and wanted on terrorism-related charges, gave him the
suitcase to take to Bahrain.
(AP, 3/16/15)

2015 Mar 22, Bahrain jailed 11
people for 15 years each over an attack on a police station in a
Shiite village that left four policemen wounded. A 12th defendant
was jailed for seven years The 12 were accused of taking part in an
attack in October in the village of Aaly.
(AFP, 3/22/15)

2015 Apr 27, Bahrain's public
prosecutor said that eight men were sentenced to fifteen years in
prison for the attempted murder of nine policemen in 2013.
(Reuters, 4/28/15)

2015 Apr 28, Bahraini
authorities said they have arrested 28 people who had been planning
attacks in villages in the kingdom. Some of those detained had
already been convicted on terrorism charges in absentia and had been
sentenced to life terms in jail, while others had their citizenships
revoked.
(Reuters, 4/28/15)

2015 May 31, A Bahraini court
jailed six police officers for up to five years after convicting
them of torturing inmates, one of whom died.
(AFP, 5/31/15)

2015 Jun 11, A court in Bahrain
handed down sentences of up to life imprisonment against 57 Shiites
accused of plotting attacks against police and other targets. Only
33 of the defendants were in custody. The rest were tried in
absentia.
(AFP, 6/12/15)